The Iraqi journalist who last year threw his shoes at United States president George W Bush during a press conference has been freed from prison. He should have been released on Monday but there was an administrative delay.

Muntazer al-Zaidi became world famous after the shoe-throwing incident. He achieved hero status in the Arab world, where former president Bush was an extremely unpopular figure.

He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for insulting a foreign head of state but was released after nine months for good behaviour. His actions have been copied round the world. A few months after he threw his shoes at Mr Bush, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jibao had a shoe thrown at him in Cambridge in the UK.

photo: Mr Bush ducks the famous shoe (flickr / muhammad adnan asim)